Voigtlander Avus Folding Plate Camera
Photo thanks to Greg Pregent
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Very clean Voigtlander Avus folding plate camera 1920's. Metal and leather bellows. 9x12cm format. Skopar f4.5/135mm lens with a Ibsor shutter. Excellent condition. Looks like everthing would work fine. Shutter does seem a little slow. Camera also has a contact built into the shutter for flash work. ground glass back plus 2 backs with the camera and numerous film plate holders that slide into the backs. This is a nice looking German camera with a great older style format.

Date: Sat, 09 Jan 1999
From: ed romney [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Avus misspelled

Hi Bob...

Not Arvus but Avus...a place in Germany with a a race track for cars ---among other things. Name should be on the handle.

Our family's first 6.5 x 9 Avus lasted from 1928 to 1950. I used it in the 40's when it was a bit worn out. They were quite a buy in the 20's....Dad paid $30 for his new, which was about the price of a folding Kodak with good F6.3 lens then.

About 1975 I bought another V Avus in mint condition which I still own and use. Did many repair book pix with it. My picture of the barn and cloud in my website was made with an Avus.

Best with Kodak holders available both 6.5x9 and 9 x 12 cm size. They fit cut film without inserts. The small Avus can be used with 5x7 film cut in 4 pieces or 4 x 5 cut in two, or 120 roll cut to size. They lose format size with 2.25 x 3.25 holders which are also sold by Kodak.

Fine camera, not as rugged as Graphic, virtually impossible to put a solenoid on it, do not buy it unless it has the F4.5 Scopar which is an excellent Zeiss Tessar copy that came out when Tessar patents expired.

Accessory focal plane shutters and screw in true tele Dynar lenses in F6.3 were sold by the factory. The supplementary Focar lenses are quite good too.

Best wishes..Ed Romney

[Ed. note: Thanks, Ed, for the update and info - readers may also want to check out Ed's many camera repair books and resources (including many which relate to these vintage cameras and others - collector's take note) at his web site at http://www.edromney.com - as well as related materials at our repair books pages... P.S. That's what happens when I take my spelling cues from EBAY! aargh!]

From: [email protected] (Richard Knoppow)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Voigtlander field camera backs and lenses?
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2002


Michael Sokolsky  wrote:

>I recently inherited a Voigtlander 9x12 cm field camera from I beleive
>1940-50.  I have been unable to find much information about this camera
>on the net, however it is mostly in excellent condition and I am
>interested in getting it to work.  It has a view back and a single 9x12
>back which seems to be missing the negative holder.  The camera folds
>into a box about 5 x 11 x 15 cm with a DOF chart on one corner..  It has
>a fold out wireframe finder as well as a waste-level mirror finder on
>top of the lense with a level.  The lense says "Voigtlander Anastigmat
>"Skopar" 1:4,5 F=13,5 cm".  Unfortunatally one of the inner elements is
>bady fogged.  I am wondering if it is possiblet to remove and replace
>the lense, and also if it is possible to find a newer or different back,
>perhaps one which accomidates 4x5 or roll film for this camera.  I am
>new to large format photography and I was hoping to get started with
>this camera.  Any help is greatly appreciated in identifying or fixing
>this camera.  I will be glad to give further details.
>
>-Mike

Voigtlander made a number of folding plate cameras. The description
sounds most like an Avus. Its a much older camera than you think,
Voigtlander does not seem to have made any plate type cameras after
about the late 1930's.

 Roll film adaptors were available for plate cameras but you will have
to search ebay, etc., to find one. A great many users of small plate
cameras used film pack adaptors. Unfortunately, film packs have not
been made for more than ten years.

  The European type back is not a spring back. The ground glass is a
separate panel which is removed and replaced by the film holder, which
slides in and is locked in place. Holders show up occasionally.
Converting the camera to use conventional US type holders would not be
economical.

 The Skopar was Voigtlander's version of the Tessar. These are very
good lenses. If the cloudiness is in the rear cell it is the cement
between the elements. Recementing is not too difficult but most Tessar
type lenses have the rear element mounted using a burnished down lip
to hold the glass. The lip can be pried off but machining is needed to
remount the lens.

  If the cloudiness is in the front cell you can probably get the cell
open to clean it out. The cell with have either a threaded back cap or
a threaded front retaining ring. Sometimes the threads for the
retaining rings are painted over so it looks like there are none. If
the cell does not have a back cap the retaining ring _will_ be
removable. It can be gotten off by using a friction tool. This is
simply a tube of the right diameter with a ring of soft rubber
cemented to its edge. Most old lenses develop haze inside. It comes
off with ordinary lens cleaner, the problem being to get to it.

  The type of shutter may help date the camera.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA.
[email protected]



From: Leigh Marrin [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format 
Subject: Re: Voigtlander plate camera 
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 

jeheikki [email protected] wrote: 
> After a bit cleaning, it seems that the text reads something like Vag, with 
> a search with google I found that there was a Voigtlander vag, 
> but unfortunately there wasn't much information about vag.. 
In the period between WWI and WWII, Voigtlander made a series of several 
plate cameras: models Bergheil, Avus and Vag. The Vag was the lower end 
model; the Bergheil was the best, and usually had a very well-regarded 
Heliar 5-element lens, and double-extension bellows for close-ups. 
A few years ago I picked up a 6.5x9cm Avus, which has double-extension 
bellows and a Skopar lens like yours, but is in a Compur shutter. (1 to 
1/250th) I've used it with a Suydam 120 rollfilm back; takes decent 
pictures. 
I believe on eBay your Vag should be worth about $50 or so, with the 
rollfilm back probably selling for more. What's brand of rollfilm back do 
you have? Did you also get the detachable ground glass? 
--Leigh. 



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